CREW complaint exposes mystery donor
CarePoint Health founder Vivek Garipalli was responsible for a secret $1 million donation to a super PAC reportedly backing Mayor Steven Fulop’s (D-Jersey City) bid for governor of New Jersey, according to a new filing from the super PAC. In February, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint against the super PAC Coalition for Progress and a sham company called DE First Holdings—which gave the million dollars a day after its creation—for hiding the true source of the donation.
“Super PACs must disclose where their money came from, that’s the law,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. “We’re glad that this super PAC finally disclosed the true source of the million dollars, but it shouldn’t have taken legal action from us to get them to do it.”
Garipalli is a major Democratic donor in New Jersey and Fulop recommended CarePoint for a city ambulance contract in 2013.
“It is so important for voters to know where these types of donations come from,” Bookbinder said. “A million dollars goes a long way—New Jersey residents should know who is trying to influence their elections.”